7:00 pm – Friday, June 15 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
Murzik is a Dark Folk / neofolk band formed in Minneapolis in 2003. The band started out experimenting with mixing old eastern European folk and Midwest Americana to form a sound they coined “Dark Folk.” Murzik claims its influences from more traditional artists such as Vladimir Vysotsky, Leonard Cohen, and Édith Piaf that can be seen in Murzik’s romanticized soundscapes and dark poetic lyrics.
8:30 pm – Friday, June 15 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
Rogue Valley makes music that fills a dynamic spectrum, from surging electric guitar rock to woodsy finger-picking ballads. The unifying trait throughout is the band’s soaring, lush vocal harmonies that lift the cinematic arrangements to emotional heights.
11:00 am – Saturday, June 16 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
The MN Sinfonia orchestra’s professional freelance musicians come from all over the world.
Every year, the Sinfonia plays up to 80 free-admission concerts and features award-winning national and international guest soloists. According to the Star Tribune, “…the Sinfonia’s performances are easily on par with that of any major Minnesota ensemble.”
1:00 pm – Saturday, June 16 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
Hot Pink Hangover is a cupcake filled with dynamite! Their whimsical lyrics, on-stage shenanigans, and class-clown personae create a playground that would make any elementary prankster envious. Hot Pink Hangover builds a macabre dystopian landscape, and then filters it through rose-colored lenses, appealing to the escapist within us all!
https://www.hotpinkhangover.com/
2:10 pm – Saturday, June 16 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
The Von Tramps are an original rock band fronted by the power duo of vocalist/guitarist Jenna Enemy and guitarist Chelsea Oxbourough. The group has an eclectic style offering a healthy blend of sludgy Ramones-esk punk tunes, cynical and slightly comedic homages to fellow Minneapolis group The Replacements, the energy and pulse of No Doubt, topped off with a flair for the dramatic reminiscent of our favorite divas from days of yore.
3:20 pm – Saturday, June 16 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
Eclectic but focused, rowdy but controlled; Mild Manner’s definition is as contradictory as their title. A four piece of twenty somethings sprouting from the same five-mile patch of a Twin Cities-adjacent suburb, Mild Manner offers a homeostatic performance that’s constantly in flux between a hip-shaking chaos and quiet energy.
https://www.facebook.com/MildMannerBand/
4:30 pm – Saturday, June 16 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
Yesterdawn is a jazz-rock fusion group led by guitarist, composer, and local Julian Manzara. The band is dedicated to performing dynamic, improvisation-driven music as well as the baddest tunes in jazz-fusion history. This includes the work of artists such as John Scofield, Santana, and Jeff Beck.
5:40 pm – Saturday, June 16 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
Larry Wish has been composing bedroom prog music since 2007 with over fifty albums. His songs are often melodramatic and existential, exploring daily observations, reflections, interactions, and trying to understand love and life without
https://www.facebook.com/larrywishmusic/
6:50 pm – Saturday, June 16 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
Northern Minnesota cosmic folk/rock group featuring songwriters Rich Mattson (Ol’ Yeller, Tisdales, Bitter Spills, Sparta Sound) and Germaine Gemberling.
8:00 pm – Saturday, June 16 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
Purple Funk Metropolis is a charismatic six-piece band with a lively sound inspired by rock, jazz, and old-school soul. With driving melodies at the forefront of the groove, they build the party from the ground up with every performance. Whether in a Como basement or a downtown dive bar, Purple Funk’s energy notoriously gets the whole room dancing.
purplefunkmetropolis.bandcamp.com
9:15 pm – Saturday, June 17 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
Part balladeer and part bluesman, Jack is a dedicated songwriter and finger-style guitarist. His unique sound defies genre with influences that pull from a wide range of American music. In the words of Americana Roots UK “Jack doesn’t rely on other writers for his diversity, he can write in pretty much any musical style of his choosing.”
2:15 pm – Saturday, June 16 – StarTribune Stage (Father Hennepin Park)
Wilkinson James is the band project of Liz Wilkinson and AJ Scheiber, who blend their love of folk, honky-tonk, and jazzy torch songs into a sound that one fan once described as “the bastard offspring of June Carter Cash and Townes Van Zandt.
https://www.wilkinsonjames.biz/
3:15 pm – Saturday, June 16 – StarTribune Stage (Father Hennepin Park)
The Prairie Fire Lady Choir is an all-female a cappella singing group of sixty members who raise their collective voices across the state in support of art, community, and creativity. PFLC can be heard singing unique arrangements of songs by artists such as Jeremy Messersmith, Twisted Sister, Lucius and Neutral Milk Hotel.
http://prairiefireladychoir.org
4:15 pm – Saturday, June 16 – StarTribune Stage (Father Hennepin Park)
Lena Elizabeth is a singer songwriter from Minneapolis writing songs influenced by folk story telling with a strong voice rooted in the blues. Lena blends old and new to create a pop sound approachable across generations.
5:15 pm – Saturday, June 16 – StarTribune Stage (Father Hennepin Park)
Emily Haavik & the 35s are good friends who play lyric-driven folk/rock filled with rich strings and harmonies. The band lives in Duluth and Emily now lives in Minneapolis, so they frequently traverse I-35 to play together.
https://www.emilyandthe35s.com/
6:15 pm – Saturday, June 16 – StarTribune Stage (Father Hennepin Park)
A harmonious medley of three male voices combined with stringed instruments, a clogger, and of course at least One Ukulele. We have been playing at festivals, farmers markets, private events and more for nearly eight years. We love and create songs of peace, love, justice, and harmony.
12:15 pm – Saturday, June 16 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
Local songsmith, Alex Schneider is known for his raw, emotionally honest lyrics and innovative guitar work.
https://alexschneider.bandcamp.com/
1:15 pm – Saturday, June 16 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
Brooke Elizabeth is a singer/songwriter from small town Wisconsin. Her first EP was released in August 2016 and has a Folk/Americana vibe. Described as “soothing and easy to listen to”, Brooke Elizabeth draws influence from a variety of genres that blend to create an eclectic mix and unique style.
https://www.brookelizabethmusic.com/
2:15 pm – Saturday, June 16 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
Graham Earley is a songwriter from Minneapolis. He’s been playing around the city since middle school, when he showed up at a Mad Ripple Hootenanny in 2007. After several iterations on his songwriting process, he now sings introspective, fingerpicked folk tunes.
3:15 pm – Saturday, June 16 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
Dan Israel’s You’re Free is a response to personal, political, and cultural crises by a singer-songwriter who happens to be in midlife. As such, it sidesteps midlife-crisis clichés while searching earnestly for change, liberation, and the perfect guitar break. By turns anxious and joyful, sometimes even a bit reckless, it’s a cry of the heart delivered from the cab of a new-used convertible, or a jeremiad shouted from a seventies muscle car rejiggered to run on french-fry grease.
http://www.danisraelmusic.com/
4:15 pm – Saturday, June 16 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
Matthew French’s music and lyrics catch at the strings of hope hidden within heartache. Guitar in hand, coffee cup nearby; the melody transports and the words tell a story. Our story. Matthew’s audiences feel themselves reflected in the warmth of his voice
5:15 pm – Saturday, June 16 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
Rooted in the tradition of classic Americana & Folk storytelling with a tip of the hat to Blues & Southern Soul, Jeff Krause pairs lyric-forward songs with a guitar style that moves from Acoustic coffee house strums to dusty bar Blues.
http://www.jeffkrausemusic.com/
6:15 pm – Saturday, June 16 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
Wendy C Johnson received her degree in Classical Guitar Performance from the University of Minnesota in 2015. Wendy believes that music is one of the best ways to create understanding between people and empower them to be positive forces in the world. Wendy has performed in a variety of venues around the Twin-Cities both instrumentally and vocally.
https://wendycjohnsonmusic.com/
11:00 am – Sunday, June 17 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
School of Rock St. Paul’s Performance Program puts students front-and-center on a real stage for real performances. Students show off their killer music skills while learning serious teamwork as they and their band mates refine their abilities through some of rock and roll’s greatest hits. For our students, real performances breed real skill, and real fun.
http://stpaul.schoolofrock.com/
12:00 pm – Sunday, June 17 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
Loud Sun is Andrew Jansen, who has been self-releasing music since the year 2000. Blending genres such as rock, folk, psychedelic, punk and elements of electronic music he has played in numerous bands in the Upper Midwest and San Francisco Bay Area—often in DIY spaces. The album Sea Grave is largely comprised of melodic dream pop with some experimental, garage, and ’60s.
http://www.friendshipfever.com/artist/loud-sun
1:00 pm – Sunday, June 17 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
RLGDPPL (Real Good People if you shell out for a few vowels) is an original good time R&B-rooted rock combo from Minneapolis, MN. We’ve shared multiple stages with the likes of local acts The 4ontheFloor, General B and the Wiz, Black Market Brass as well as having opened for national touring act Alanna Royale. We are releasing and supporting our second EP in May 2018.
2:05 pm – Sunday, June 17 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
We’re a rock band that sometimes likes to pretend we’re different kinds of bands. We’ve got a record out that we’re pretty proud of. We’re working on a second one right now.
https://thefontanelles.bandcamp.com/
3:10 pm – Sunday, June 17 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
Comprised of three chicks and one dude who, surprisingly, is not the drummer—The Ultrasounds fashion a wall of noisy guitars and feedback juxtaposed with frail but poignant melodies. An indie, post-punk, and sludge amalgam for all except tasteless squares.
4:15 pm – Sunday, June 17 – Cities 97 Stage (Water Power Park)
“Be careful what you get good at doin’ ’cause you’ll be doin’ it for the rest of your life.” An all-too-common sentiment shared by maturing musicians trading their passions for what pays the bills. The Usual Things (Minneapolis, MN-based alternative rock) find a balance with their third record. “Backup Plans” exhibits a maturing band exploring their craft in between the nine-to-fives, breaking new ground with lush keyboard backdrops, string arrangements, and horn sections.
https://theusualthings.com/epk/
1:15 pm – Sunday, June 17 – Star Tribune Stage (Father Hennepin Park)
10th Wave is an emerging chamber collective in the Twin Cities dedicated to breaking out of the mold of traditional classical music performance. 10th Wave seeks to perform innovative concert programs featuring traditional and contemporary classical chamber music to engage and connect with audiences of any background.
2:15 pm – Sunday, June 17 – Star Tribune Stage (Father Hennepin Park)
Peter Lochner is an Americana singer-songwriter. Drawing on his time spent in Minnesota and North Dakota, as well as in the incredibly diverse Minneapolis music scene, his music reflects every aspect of the Americana genre, from country gospel to southern rock. His newest record “Ain’t No Gospel On The Jukebox” is a celebration of life, loss, and heartbreak with a healthy dose of foot stomping joy.
http://www.peterlochnermusic.com/
3:15 pm – Sunday, June 17 – Star Tribune Stage (Father Hennepin Park)
The Long Odds are a Minneapolis based Americana band rooted in classic country and folk rock with an inclination to explore non-traditional sounds.
4:15 pm – Sunday, June 17 – Star Tribune Stage (Father Hennepin Park)
Kind music for kind people. Kind Country is a Minneapolis-based band that plays American standards as well as their own brand of Cosmic American music. Since their formation in 2012, the band has focused on creating live performances with high levels of improvisation and energy gathering with a goal of creating a moment of musical bliss that can be shared by audience members and band alike.
https://www.kindcountryband.com/
11:15 am – Sunday, June 17 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
20-year-old acoustic singer-songwriter Charlie Vail performs mellow folk/indie music. Inspirations include Johnnie Cash, Bob Dylan, and Nick Drake.
https://soundcloud.com/charlievail
12:15 pm – Sunday, June 17 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
Bob & Lynn Dixon play a mix of vocal duets and instrumental dance tunes from the old-time tradition of America which, here in the upper Midwest, includes Scandinavian tunes. They mix it up with acoustic guitars, fiddle, mandolin, and two-row button accordion.
1:15 pm – Sunday, June 17 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
Julia Christi Ann is a singer-songwriter with roots in classic country and Americana folk, with a splash of blues for good measure. Julia’s soulful voice haunts and inspires her audience, taking them on a journey through her own experiences of grief and loss. These are central themes in her upcoming studio work, where she poignantly puts words to personal sorrow while demonstrating the buoyancy of the human spirit.
2:15 pm – Sunday, June 17 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
Gentleman Speaker (Tim Brecht) delivers light, airy, melodic acoustic sounds paired with storyteller lyrics that strike a comfortable balance between innocence of emotion and profound awareness. Gentleman Speaker will make everything feel okay, at least for a moment.
https://www.facebook.com/gentlemanspeaker/
3:15 pm – Sunday, June 17 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
Nikki Roux and Rich Rue are the core members of the ongoing group, Nikki & The RueMates. Together, they express some of America’s great musical past through voice, guitar, and songwriting with their interpretation of classic female blues tunes, their 60’s-like electric guitar sounds, and lyrics that are ‘thoughtful, dreamy, sultry and unguarded.’
http://www.nikkiandtheruemates.com/
4:15 pm – Sunday, June 17 – City Pages Stage (Central Avenue Bridge)
Glen fuses instruments and world musical styles with his own guitar compositions. Helgeson currently performs with his world-beat jazz group, Axis Mundi; the acoustic jazz trio, Trio Mundo; and the gypsy jazz group, Gypsy Mania.
http://worldviewmusic.com/glenhelgeson/index.html
